THE havoc hoax callers can wreak was vividly illustrated when about 80 children -­ half the entire school -­ were kept away from the classrooms by their concerned parents yesterday.

A mystery telephone caller had threatened to blow up Upton Westlea Primary School in Weston Grove.

The call was made at about 4.20pm on Wednesday and parents were later contacted by headteacher Christine Jackson and other staff members.

Police officers failed to find any package after conducting an extensive search of the school.

Mrs Jackson says she has an idea who the hoaxer could be and hopes her missing pupils will return to school next week.

She said: 'It was quite upsetting for us. The call was made after the school had closed on Wednesday.

'I was not in school at the time but I was told the caller said: 'We are going to bomb your school'.

'We telephoned all parents immediately to give them the option of whether they wanted to send their children to school on Thursday.'

Staff had difficulty distinguishing the voice and are not sure whether the call was made by a man or a woman.

Mrs Jackson said a call preceded the bomb threat which was some kind of 'garbled' message.

The threat comes a month after three Ellesmere Port schools were shut down after headteachers and our sister paper the Pioneer in Ellesmere Port received a security warning.

Parents of pupils from Atherton Nursery and Infant School, Pooltown Community Junior School and Sutton High School were contacted after the schools were evacuated and hundreds of pupils were sent home for the day.

The sick warnings came just three days after the world watched in horror as the terrorist atrocities in America unfolded on television screens.

Police officers with sniffer dogs searched the schools assisted by staff and nothing untoward was found.

Ivor Lewis, a spokesman for the Cheshire Constabulary, said: 'It was a hoax bomb call. We are not commenting beyond that at all.'

* People with information can call Chester police station on 01244 350222.